


broken arms & beating hearts

by skyelights



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Crushes, HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYUJI ilysm, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Ryuji's mom is an angel, Sickfic, also im physically incapable of writing anything that isnt fluff, i use emdashes every other word im so sorry, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 06:38:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19458433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyelights/pseuds/skyelights
Summary: ryuji's stuck in the hospital the day before his birthday, and it's his own damn fault.akira's presence was the greatest gift he could've asked for.(happy birthday ryuji!)





	broken arms & beating hearts

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first fic ive written in a very long time ,,, and like 80% of it was written at 3am its probably terrible fsdlkjalkjsd  
> but i just had to do something for this boy!!! i love these two So Much its unreal 
> 
> please enjoy!

Leave it to Ryuji Sakamoto have the world’s shittiest luck and get hospitalized a day before his birthday.

In all fairness, the whole thing had started completely innocently. He was out grocery shopping with his mother, a rare and precious moment they were finally able to spend together through her busy work schedule and his school life. Ryuji had started bagging the groceries while his mom paid, trying to judge how many he could carry in one hand.

(the answer was three, by the way. taking more than one trip is for weaklings.)

His mother fretted over him, as usual, offering to take some of the bags for herself, but he simply shook his head and kept walking.

Ryuji savored these times, though few and far between, where he was able to just enjoy the company of his mom for more than five minutes over dinner or scribbled notes left on countertops. She’d been working just as hard as ever, leaving her son with a bitter taste in his mouth — he hadn’t gotten a real part-time job yet, electing to try and focus on his studies (partially because Makoto had been on his ass lately about trying to get his grades to be acceptable, saying _“well, if you want to go to the same college as Akira, you’ve got to start studying.”_ That was enough to convince him.)

And god, Akira was a whole ‘nother issue entirely. The man was practically perfect, with grades ranking him top of the class, charisma that could charm half of Tokyo, a calm voice as smooth as velvet, lips that —

Aaaaaaand that was enough daydreaming, he’d abruptly decided.

(consider him part of that half.)

Ryuji had managed to pull himself out of his thoughts just in time to hear his mom shout a “watch out!” before he very unceremoniously missed the first step of a staircase he did _not_ remember being there. The bags flew out of his hands as he tumbled down the steps, and oh _fuck_ he landed on his arm, or his wrist, he didn’t really know, it just hurt —

When he’d finally opened his eyes, his mom was hovering over him with one of the most concerned looks he’d seen in his life, and he couldn’t help but feel … ashamed, honestly. Of course he’d ruin this shopping trip, just like everything else.

“Mom — ma, hey, I’m alright,” he managed to say, letting out a hiss of pain as he forced himself to sit up. A quick look around revealed the total mess he’d made of the groceries, and fresh guilt knotted in his stomach. “God, I’m so sorry —“

“Don’t worry about that. Are you alright? Did you hurt anything?” She moves to check his arm, first his right, then his left, and _shit_ that hurt. The pain must have shown on his face, because her expression shifted into deeper worry.

“Think that’s broken,” he mutters, obvious disappointment lacing his words.

“Get up, Ryuji, we’re headed to the hospital,” she ordered, already gathering the groceries strewn across the pavement.

“Oh, ma —“

————

One tense train ride and two doctors later, Ryuji was settled into a bed in room 214. His mom had stayed with him for a little while before heading home, reassuring him that she wasn’t upset at him, just to take it easy.

The doctor had mentioned that the fracture was on the severe end, but not to the point of requiring surgery, and that he’d keep an eye on it to make sure it didn’t swell or need any further treatment for the next two days.

Next two days, huh ...

Ryuji shifted over to the bedside stand where his phone was to check the time and date.

7:04 PM, July 2nd. What luck.

There was actually a notification waiting on his screen, to his surprise, from Akira.

—

**Akira**

_5:37pm_

> Are you free this evening?

> I bought a new game. Got tired of the others.

_5:42pm_

> I’ll make food too.

—

Shit. Must’ve been from when he was with the doctor. Well, it was only fair he filled Akira in.

—

_8:06pm_

< srry dude!! just saw ur texts

< im actually in the hospital rn. dont worry nothin bad, just fell down the stairs and broke my arm lol

< kinda lame ik

< ur cooking does sound pretty good tho…

—

Good enough, he’d decided, but his phone chirped before he was able to set it down. That was fast.

—

_8:08pm_

> What hospital? And your room number?

< uh dude it’s not that big of a deal. ill be out in like two days

> Tell me anyway.

< ugh

< fine if you insist

< JR Tokyo General Hospital, room 214

> Got it.

< dude i KNOW you are not about to catch a train here. its so late already

< id be pretty surprised if u made it in time

< akira?

< gdi

—

_Uuughh._ It was ridiculous how three texts could make Ryuji’s heart skip a beat. And knowing Akira, it was probably just going to get worse — well, not that he wasn’t grateful for the company (really, he was way more than grateful), it just … made him feel like even more of a burden. He wasn’t sure if his poor heart could stand it, anyway.

He shifted in the hospital bed restlessly, trying to get his damn arm comfortable (seriously, the cast was itchy as _hell_.) This was going to be the longest wait of his life.

————

It ended up taking Akira just over an hour to show up (not that Ryuji was counting, really) and just as he’d suspected, his heart was certainly not ready.

Even for a nine o’ clock hospital visit, Akira _still_ managed to look stunning, though Ryuji suspected that had less to do with his clothes and more to do with … him.

Ryuji shifted in the bed, sitting himself up properly and — was that a bag in his hand?

“I’m here,” Akira said in a cheesy, sing-song tone, enough to send Ryuji snickering.

“Oh, whatever. I told you, man, you didn’t have to show up.” Really, it just served to amplify his guilt. Being useless or anything remotely close felt _terrible_.

“But I wanted to.” Akira moved over to the chair at the other side of the room, settling down for a brief moment before he jolted, as if he’d forgotten something. He reached over to the bag and handed it to Ryuji, who shot him a questioning look.

“For your birthday.”

That explained enough, he figured. Reaching into the bag, there were a couple of things — first, two editions of a manga that he’d been meaning to get into, about a team of teenagers investigating a string of murders in a small town. There was also a game case in there too — a pretty new one, too, and supposedly really good. He’d have to play that as soon as he got out.

The thing that really caught his eye, though, was sitting at the bottom of the bag. It was a crocheted dog made of yellow yarn, just a bit larger than his hand, with a little black eyepatch over the right eye and Ryuji could instantly tell it was handmade. In classic Akira fashion, there were no imperfections, and honestly, it was really fucking cute.

Ryuji was positive he had the dumbest smile on his face.

When he finally looked up to give his thanks, the look on Akira’s face gave him pause — he seemed almost … nervous? Bashful? He was toying with a strand of black hair, twirling it around his finger, and keeping his eyes low to the ground.

 _That_ was really, _really_ fucking cute.

“ … Do you like it?”

What a stupid question.

“Do I like it? Dude, of course! I fuckin’ _love_ it!”

That was enough to get Akira’s attention, it seemed. His eyes widened in surprise before quickly shifting into an embarrassed smile, letting out a small chuckle. “I was hoping you would. I’m really happy.”

“How long did it take you? I mean, it looks really good.” Ryuji kept the plush in his hands, occasionally tugging at an ear or wiggling a leg around.

“A few days, in between school and work. The hard part was mostly trying to find the time to do it.” Akira had started shifting around in the chair in an attempt to get comfortable, reaching for a nearby pillow and propping it underneath him.

“I don’t really know what to say. Dude, just … thank you.” The blonde paused for a moment, watching the other’s movements. “Uh, are you going to be able to get home? It’s pretty late, y’know.”

“Why do you think I’m trying to get comfortable?” Akira responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, lifting his feet onto the chair across from him. “I’m staying the night.”

In just a few moments, Ryuji was sputtering, words suddenly abandoning him. “I -- why -- you don’t have to, man ... “ was about all he could manage.

“Are you telling me to leave?” Akira was already standing, a mischievous smirk working its way onto his features. “I’ll just go, then. I’ll find a way home.”

“No, wait --” Ryuji’s arm shot out from the bed before he could stop himself, firmly grasping Akira’s wrist, who turned around in genuine surprise like he wasn’t expecting that strong of a reaction.

Ryuji wasn’t either, honestly. He quickly retracted his arm, blood rushing to his face, and sank into the bedsheets as if they would swallow him up. “ … Uh.”

Akira gave him a small smile and returned to his seat wordlessly, spending the next few minutes in an awkward silence. Ryuji was wringing the bedsheets anxiously, suddenly preferring to focus his attention onto the wall opposite him, unable to shake the sudden onset of nerves.

“Is something on your mind?” Akira said far too casually, blunt as always.

It wasn’t really a question, and Ryuji knew that, and knew that Akira would stop at nothing to pry the information out of him.

The issue was what he was going to say. He couldn’t really go and say _“hey, I’ve been in love with you for months now,”_ and expect to emerge emotionally unscathed. There was always this lingering fear that he’d finally manage to fess up, and Akira would look at him like he’d just killed a cat or something, and leave him just like everybody else has —

(deep down, ryuji knew he would never do that, and maybe that’s why he fell so hard for him)

“... I’ve, uh — I’ve just been thinkin’ about someone lately,” Ryuji mumbled, barely loud enough to hear. The way his pulse was hammering in his chest, he felt like he was two seconds from combusting.

If the blonde bothered to look up, he’d notice how Akira had paled at that.

“Oh. Do you mind if I ask who?” Akira’s voice was as level as always, though if Ryuji didn’t know him as well he’d miss the out-of-place note of disappointment in his tone.

 _Uh, yeah, I would._ “I mean, I can’t give you a straight answer. It’s … someone I’ve known for a little while. I don’t know where I’d be without ‘em.” Saying those words felt strangely ... cathartic (was that the word?), ironically enough. Maybe they’d just leave it at —

“I think you should tell them.”

Couldn’t say he expected that one. Ryuji could only imagine how stupid he looked at that moment, face ridiculously red and mouth agape. “I - _what_ \- w-why do you think that?”

And then the bastard _laughed_ , a brilliant sound that really had no right happening in the first place. “They really must mean a lot to you if you’re this worked up about it,” he replied, and the smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes.

“Honestly, though, I hate to see you this … agitated. It’s not a particularly good look on you.” Akira propped his head against his hand, gray eyes never leaving brown ones. “Take a chance.”

Ryuji swallowed, finding himself even more anxious under Akira’s gentle, unrelenting gaze. How the _hell_ did he let himself get into this situation?

But …

_They really must mean a lot to you ..._

Maybe Akira was right.

_Take a chance._

He’d be an idiot to let this moment pass.

Ryuji inhaled slowly, as if he were preparing for his execution. He already knew the answer, anyway, so what harm could it do? He could hardly focus on anything besides the beating of his heart and Akira’s eyes locked with his, and the knot in his stomach was _really_ getting unbearable —

“I love you.”

He’d said it. It was weak, pathetic, and broken, but he’d said it.

The look on Akira’s face was of raw shock, and Ryuji couldn’t say he’d ever seen a more genuine emotion on his best friend’s face. It sent a spike of fresh fear down his spine, all his previous confidence melting away in an instant to give way to a sense of debilitating, painful regret. The longer he spent in this damn hospital room, the more it felt like a prison cell. Really, he was about two seconds from just hopping out of the bed and sprinting out the —

… until, in the span of a few moments, Akira’s face split into the most relieved smile, a sight that warmed Ryuji’s heart so much it almost made up for all of his troubles.

“I never thought I would hear you say that.”

Before Ryuji could even fully process what that meant, Akira had already reached for his hand, gently intertwining slender fingers into calloused ones and _oh_ _god, he should’ve spoken up so much earlier._ It felt all too real but also like a dream at the same time, and if not for the grounding presence of the literal love of his life holding him down, Ryuji just might’ve floated away right then and there.

When he finally felt like he was in his own body again, he opened eyes he didn’t know he’d shut and blinked away tears he hadn't realized he’d shed to see the most enamored look on Akira’s face, and it was like he’d fallen in love all over again.

Akira — too-pretty-for-his-own-good Akira, practically-perfect Akira, caring, wonderful, understanding Akira, who could have literally anybody else, loved him back.

And in that moment, Ryuji felt like he had the world’s best luck.

**Author's Note:**

> (epilogue: ryuji falls asleep n akira kisses him awake at 12am to be the first to tell him happy birthday)
> 
> THANK U FOR READING!!! and thanks to the pegoryu discord -- im just a lurker and never talk but yall are always so wonderful!! 
> 
> now time for me to disappear back into the void


End file.
